This week, I’m stepping away from the typical author, musician, film director cadence I’ve been on recently, and featuring a fellow blogger. For today’s Friday 5, I welcome Mike Tyrkus of CinemaNerdz!

I’ve known Mike from my days of writing freelance for the VideoHound’s Movie Retriever. By the time that blog ended, I had written several reviews, feature stories, and participated in a 24 Hour Movie Marathon with Mike. My wife and I joined Team Movie Retriever to watch movies to benefit the Michigan Children’s Leukemia Foundation. So, when Mike let me know about the start of CinemaNerdz, I was on-board 100%. In fact, if you want to see my recent features and reviews, check out my archive HERE. Enough about me though, it’s Mike’s time to shine.

1) What is it about movies that made you want to be a film critic, and as an extension, start CinemaNerdz.com?

The first film review I ever wrote was for my college paper, it was on The Silence of the Lambs. At that point I remember thinking that if you could somehow convince someone to pay you to watch movies and talk or write about them, you would have really achieved something. Well, I’m still waiting for someone to start paying me but the job has had its benefits nevertheless. I’ve always looked at the art of the cinema as sort of the coming together of most art disciplines. That point of view is what I think keeps me interested after all this time. There’s always something new to discover in film (even in a film you’ve seen dozens of times). Coming from a film criticism and academic background, I strive to keep my verbosity at bay (though some may say I fail miserably sometimes) and try to let people know simply whether they should spend their hard-earned money at the movies. That was kind of the impetus behind CinemaNerdz. Too often, criticism can become enamored with its own self-importance. Don’t get me wrong, that’s fine in the right context, but sometimes a reader just wants to know what will keep them entertained for 90 minutes.

I love CinemaNerdz!

2) Aside from the reviews, what is one thing you consider a key differentiator for CinemaNerdz that folks couldn’t find anywhere else?

That’s easy, the writers. Without their voice, CinemaNerdz would be just another movie web site regurgitating the news of the day. The variety of styles that all of the very talented writers that the site employs are what singles us out. We’ve got your typical film geeks, film scholars, housewives, a few everyman critics that just tell you whether you’ll enjoy the film or not, and we’ve even got our own resident child critic to give us the age-specific perspective on films that most critics would dismiss as garbage. In essence, it takes a lot of different Nerdz to make up CinemaNerdz.

3) What’s the most exciting thing that you’ve been exposed to as a result of movie reviews?

That’s a little harder to answer. There have been a lot of great experiences that have come my way because of this, as well as all of the great people I’ve had the opportunity to meet over the years. But, I’d have to say the most exciting thing has been being invited to join the Detroit Film Critics Society back in 2011. Being a member of that group as well as serving on the Leadership Committee has been a tremendous experience.

4) Since I’m all about dirt, what’s the worst movie you’ve ever reviewed?

Without a doubt, it would have to be The Happening. Watching it, I constantly felt as though I was watching something that the director really didn’t care if I was in on or not. M. Night Shyamalan has proven himself a gifted filmmaker with films like The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, but a couple missteps over the past few years (The Village, The Last Airbender, and The Lady in the Water) have caused my belief in him to waiver. The Happening did nothing to change that opinion. In fact, it makes me question whether the only thing that Shyamalan has had going for him was the so-called “trick ending” and that once that was taken away he may be just another average filmmaker producing tired, formulaic, and often boring movies. I can usually find something positive to say about most movies, but not The Happening.

Why was I in this movie?

5) What movie are you anticipating the most in 2013?

The film that immediately comes to mind is Star Trek: Into Darkness. I’m sure that at the end of the year there will have a few other movies I’ve seen that are more worthy of year-end praise, but the Star Trek fan in me is simply too excited to be silent.

When this movie first came out in the theatres, it didn’t even hit my radar. Most modern American horror flicks these days (and back then) have all either been crap remakes, torture porn, or so by the numbers that it hasn’t been worth my time to even care. After finally seeing The Strangers on DVD a year or so ago, I’m glad I didn’t see it in the theatre. Not because it was crap and a waste of money, but because I would have embarrassed myself in front of a packed theatre because this movie scared the H-E-double hockey sticks out of me.

The movie starts off innocently enough: a couple heads to their vacation house in the middle of the night after attending a wedding. James (Scott Speedman) is also planning to propose to Kristen (Liv Tyler) that evening. Shortly after their arrival, they get a knock on the door by a blonde woman asking for someone. Kristen and James let them know she has the wrong house and go about their night. When James leaves to get Kristen cigarettes, the blonde woman comes back and starts to bang on the front door. Kristen tries to call James, but all the phones are dead. While Kristen is home alone, three masked people harass and intimidate her until James gets home.

The masked home invaders

From there, things go from bad to worse. The three masked assailants begin to terrorize Kristen and James (and even one of their friends who shows up about part way through the movie). I don’t want to say much more because I don’t want to ruin the movie, but just be ready to be completely scared, uncomfortable, and anxious while watching everything unravel for Kristen, James, and Mike. No lie, my wife and I watched this movie in the middle of the day, and I kept leaving her alone in the room to distract myself (I am ashamed to admit this, but it’s true – this movie scared me so much, I left my wife to fend for herself). Looking back on it, I don’t think the actual movie is scary, but the scenario and situations are scary and uncomfortable. The real horror lied in the complete and utter helplessness Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman portrayed with their characters. I just kept hoping they would persevere, but as the movie continued, I just didn’t know if they would/could (did they or didn’t they? watch the movie to find out).

So, it’s Friday and we’re getting close to Halloween. In most of the country it’s chilly, wet, and rainy, which means it’s the perfect time to bundle up in some blankets and scare the crap out of yourself. If that sounds like a good plan, I recommend the movie you watch to scare the crap out of yourself be The Strangers.

Day Seventeen: Detroit Macabre author Joseph Williams shares his top five horror flicks

I plan on offering up a few movie recommendations on my own later this week (or early next week), but before I did I wanted to hand the blog off to a local horror author and share his picks first.

Joseph Williams is the author of a new short story collection called Detroit Macabre (out now from independent publisher Post Mortem Press). The collection is filled with stories that will fill all your horror needs from straight gore to stories that would make Poe and Lovecraft proud. Some of the stories in the collection, I still think of to this day (and I read it about a month ago). The stories are creepy, fun, and probably some of the best short stories I’ve read since Don Ray Pollock’s Knockemstiff.

Detroit Macabre – for your reading pleasure

So, without further delay, here are Joseph William’s picks for best horror flicks to watch this Halloween season!

It’s that time of year.

Whether you are a diehard fan of horror films or someone who only watches them around Halloween, now is the time when everyone wants to be scared. The trouble is that if you don’t like the Freddy or Jason films (or Freddy vs. Jason, for that matter) and are sick of all the other cliché teen slasher flicks, you might think there isn’t anything to watch to get a good scare. You might be sick of seeing the same films on TV every year or haven’t gotten around to seeing some of the classics that don’t get as much airplay as the fifth installment in the Halloween franchise. Want to try something new, eh?

Well, this year, you’re in luck.

Here are five of my favorite horror films to watch around Halloween:

Carnival of Souls

Carnival of Souls (1962, Herk Harvey) Carnival of Souls is a surprisingly bold and terrifying classic with amateur actors and a miniscule budget, yet the strangeness and the outstanding performance by Candace Hilligoss are what make this one truly memorable. Even today in the era of special effects and over-the-top grotesquerie, this one will still manage to give you nightmares.

Book of Blood

Book of Blood (2009, John Harrison) The framing story that began Clive Barker’s astounding Books of Blood series of short fiction is brought to life in all of its unsettling glory. At times gruesome, terrifying, and remorselessly dark, this is one of the best Barker adaptations in a new wave of outstanding Barker adaptations (see Dread and The Midnight Meat Train). You can’t go wrong with any of them…or really anything written by Barker.

The Cell

The Cell (2000, Tarsem Singh) Singh hit a home run in his major directorial debut starring Jennifer Lopez and Vince Vaughn. This is truly the most compelling visual masterpiece of any horror movie I’ve seen. The sets are both beautiful and revolting and never seem out of place. Singh was able to translate the intangible visions of the human mind onto film so well that no one before or since has come close to replicating it. Part detective thriller and part psychological-terror romp, this is one of the most underrated films of the last fifteen years.

The Thing

The Thing (1982, John Carpenter) Carpenter’s films are hit and miss, but The Thing may well be my favorite movie. Kurt Russell gives an outstanding performance as an American helicopter pilot stationed in the Arctic with a handful of other researchers/workers. After a couple of crazed Norwegians fly over their camp trying to shoot down a mysterious dog, all hell breaks loose. A shape-shifting alien has infiltrated the crew through the dog with the ability to exactly mimic the behaviors and mannerisms of the bodies it absorbs. Russell has to figure out who among the crew is the alien and destroy it before it escapes into civilization as one of them, while at the same time proving to the other men that it hasn’t taken over his body.

Session 9

Session 9 (2001, Brad Anderson) Session 9 was released in 2001 without much fanfare and has continued to receive mixed reviews from critics. Don’t listen to them. Anderson was able to make a truly disturbing film without needing gore, rape, or boogeymen to do it. The setting of the abandoned psychiatric hospital (Danvers) is enough to put you on edge, but the enigmatic figure Simon–an alternate personality of one of the hospital’s former patients (and more)–will have you looking over your shoulder at every turn. Definitely worth a second viewing to appreciate the subtleties.

While these films aren’t necessarily mainstream classics (with the exception of The Thing, which has a prequel of the same title being released this October) that you’ll see on TCM or AMC or even featured at your local video store (if you still visit one), they are worth the time and attention of even the casual fan of horror movies. So this year, rather than watching a marathon of every ridiculous Michael Myers sequel or the cartoonish Nightmare on Elm Street films from the late ’80s and ’90s (which isn’t to say that I dislike them), pick out something new and remember what it’s like to be truly terrified, surprised, disturbed, and vulnerable again.

If you already know me, you know one of my biggest passions is cinema. I like movies of every kind and even write reviews and features for Cinema Nerdz (cheap plug) when I get a chance. I’ll watch just about anything, but in October my tastes lean towards horror movies. Makes sense, right? We’re four days in and I’ve already watched three horror movies (Insidious, Dead Snow, and Trick ‘r Treat) and plan to watch plenty more before the month is over. I hate to admit it, but I still have never seen the original Night of the Living Dead flick. Kind of sad to admit, but I’m amongst friends, right? Sad thing is, I’ve owned it for about four years now, so there really is no excuse. This will be the year…I promise.

When it comes to horror flicks, I prefer them one of two ways: 1) filled discreet, realistic, and psychological scares or 2) campy and fun. I don’t mind blood and guts in horror movies (especially if it helps move the story along or scare the shit out of me), but I just can’t really support the torture porn sub genre (Saw and Hostel come to mind). The first Saw was clever and uncomfortable with its use of violence and gore, but the series really went downhill from there.

Enough of about me though. I want to get to the review of Trick ‘r Treat which may just be some of the most fun I’ve had watching a horror movie since the first time I saw Evil Dead. That’s high praise coming from me because I’m obsessed with the Evil Dead franchise.

Written and directed by Michael Dougherty (co-writer of X-2, which is arguably the best X-flick of the franchise), Trick ‘r Treat has the feel of a 90 minute Tales From the Crypt episode. Doughtery uses the character of Sam (the cute little kid dressed up in the movie poster above) to make sure one town a year is enforcing every rule associated with Halloween.

The narrative for this movie weaves through four separate, but interconnected stories, that resolve themselves in a very satisfying way. Because of the way Dougherty wrote it, I kept trying to guess all of the connections between each story. Some I was able to get right, and some I got wrong, but regardless, Dougherty created a flick that I wanted to keep watching because it was so much damn fun.

Where Scream played with the conventions of the horror genre, Trick ‘r Treat plays with the conventions of the actual Halloween holiday. The writing was clever, the acting was as could be expected for a horror movie (hell, they were able to get Dylan Baker, Anna Paquin, and Brian Cox to join in on the fun too), and it offers up just enough campy and scares to be a top contender for the top of my viewing pile every time Halloween comes rolling around.

The only real weak spot in the movie is Anna Paquin’s storyline, but it’s passable considering how well it gels with the other three stories taking place. By far, my favorite parts of the movie involved Dylan Baker’s sadistic school principal who purposely uses Halloween to poison trick or treaters with the candy he passes out.

Image from couch campus.com

If you’re looking for a fun horror movie that you’ll enjoy from start to finish, look no further. Trick ‘r Treat is the new gold standard for Halloween movies (move on over Michael Myers, Sam has taken over your spot).

As you can see by the above image, I’m getting ready for my 31 Day Challenge. As extra motivation, I’m linking up with a collection of blogs filled with folks who are also doing other types of 31 Day Challenges. Check out The Nesting Place linked over on the right in my blogroll (or click here – )

As you look to follow along my 31 day journey, use this page as your one-stop shop for everything. While I’ll be adding each day of the challenge to my blog, I’ll also be direct linking all 31 Days to the bottom of this original post to make sure there’s an easy way to keep track of everything.

Based on my poll results, it looks like my readers want everything but book recommendations (too bad, I’m a bookseller, so you’re getting some of those too….), so expect a very diverse month of posts inspired by the Halloween season. You’ll get everything from reviews, recommendations, recipes, craft ideas, costume ideas, interviews, and posts about all things that go bump in the night (among other things).

I’m very excited about this undertaking. Thanks for supporting me in my efforts to make this October a spooktacular one.

Also, if you like what you see and want to link up with me on your blog, feel free to use the image below -Happy Horror…Happy Haunting…Happy Halloween!